Changes in grey matter following new experiences and learning have been shown. But enhancements in white matter have not previously been demonstrated.

We have demonstrated that there are changes in the white matter of the brain – the bundles of nerve fibres that connect different parts of the brain – as a result of learning an entirely new skill,’ explains Dr Johansen-Berg.

also:

There are potential clinical applications of this work, although they are a long way off,’ adds Dr Johansen-Berg. ‘Knowing that pathways in the brain can be enhanced may be significant in the long run in coming up with new treatments for neurological diseases, such as multiple sclerosis, where these pathways become degraded.'

Interesting. That gives me hope. Maybe I can improve my brain after all. I'd love to continuously learn new complex skills. Well, I'd love to if I was a bit less depressed...

By the way I can juggle fairly well with 3 balls. Time to move on to 4....

Yeah, it gives me hope too.

That's awesome!! 4 balls aren't much harder, basically you just do the cross-over juggling 2 balls in each hand - so it's fairly simple. Practicing doing "columns" (juggling with one hand with 2 balls) is recommended when preparing to go up to 4 balls. (I like to juggle. )

__________________What ifs are like poop. It's better to flush them right away, or the whole place will soon stink. - dvdnvwlsRemember life and then your life becomes a better world.

Since you began juggling, have you noticed any "improvements?" (For example, better hand-eye coordination, boosted reading comprehension, etc. )

-The improvements I have noticed:

I myself have noticed juggling has boosted my readingcomprehension. I also have better hand-eye coordination - such as increased "shot" accuracy when playing basketball, and an increased ability to catch objects that are thrown at me. My handwriting has also significantly improved since I began juggling.

(I have been juggling for a little over 2 years. BUT I began seeing noticeable improvements/results in as little as 1 month.)

__________________What ifs are like poop. It's better to flush them right away, or the whole place will soon stink. - dvdnvwlsRemember life and then your life becomes a better world.

Learning to juggle all the stuff mentally. (lol....."Watch this wreck!!")

Big props to anyone who can do either with any success.

__________________"You torment yourself wondering how they could not love your burning heart. And the answer darling, you are not the star you thought you were. You are the f******g universe and not everybody is an astronaut." ~Unknown

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That's awesome!! 4 balls aren't much harder, basically you just do the cross-over juggling 2 balls in each hand - so it's fairly simple. Practicing doing "columns" (juggling with one hand with 2 balls) is recommended when preparing to go up to 4 balls. (I like to juggle. )

I thought when juggling 4 balls, you basically do two columns. I can do columns with either hand but for the life of me can't do both hands together.

I should try juggling 4 balls, just the way I do it with 3 (I assume that is what you mean??).

I don't know if it made any difference to my brain. I learnt it in about an hour when I was about 15 but never practised it regularly. Maybe I should start practising it daily. I guess the key is that you need to be constantly in the learning stage. Once I've mastered a certain number of balls, it won't improve brain function that much more, I guess.

My piano teacher always told me that playing the piano has a similar effect since you use both hands for quite challenging tasks and also need to coordinate and sync both your hands.

Well i can't juggle but i did teach myself freestyle nunchaku (back before i had access to the internet) for the hell of it and am rather good at it. And i guess that at a fundamental level it is similiar to juggling. ( with the added bonus that wacking myself around the head a few times taught me how to focus better on what i was doing out of pure self preservation)

Hmm- well my handwriting did not improve( always been messy) and i did not notice a change in my reading comprehension( reading and language is one of my strong suits) It did definitly increase my hand eye coordination and proprioception( when you have a solid length of rosewood speeding around you it helps to know exactly where your knees, shins, hands, feet and head is. atleast if you dont want to spend the next day or two limping) It also definitly helped me keep my concentration focused on what i was doing.

I took a class at work one time where they taught the entire class to juggle by starting with really light sheer small scarves. You can start out slow that way. You can find those cheap sheer scarves at any Goodwill or thrift store. It really works!

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